Lock for gear-levers.



A P. B. WALLS; LOCK FOR GEAR LEVERS.

APPLICATION FILED .IULYZB. 19H. RENEWED FEB. 18,1915- Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2SHEETSSHEET l.

W HIIm aftoznua P. B. WALLS.

LOCK FOR GEAR LEVERS.

APILICATION FILED JULY28. 19H. RENEWED FEB. 18,1915.

1,136,5 6 v Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-QHEET 2. ii

understood that ally ATET ornren.

PERCY B. WAliiLS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

LOCK i on GEAR-LEVERS.

Application filed July 28, 1911, Serial No. 641,033. Renewed To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, PERCY B. WALLs,c1t1- -zen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California,

have invented certain j new and useful Improvements'in Locks for Gear-Lev'ers,

of which the following is a specification.

' -.'.This invention relates to locking devices proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an automobile, showing the controlling lever with locking mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the sector detached, showing the controlling lever locked in neutral position; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the controlling lever with the slide removed, showing the construction of the locking mechanism; Fig. 4 is a vertical. sectional view taken on the line 4-1 of Fig. 3,

the closure or plate being shown in position on the lock casing; Fig. 5 1s a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of F 1g.

' i Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the several elements comprising the lock detached; Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View, showing the bolt retracted and the controlling ever in position to move freely within the adjacent slot of the sector; Fig. 8 is a side elevation illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated Specification of Letters Patent.

4 in all the views of by means of which the communication various changes in form,-

. lock casing 15.

February 18,1915. ,SerialNo. 9,1?5.

the drawings'by the same reference characters.

The improved locking mechanism forming the subject matter of the present invention is principally designed for attachment to the gear levers of automobiles, motor Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

vehicles and the like and by way of illustra- 1 tion is shown in connection with-a of an automobile of tion in which 5 designates the frame, 6 the guide or sector, and 7 the controlling lever, having its lower end operating within the sector, as shown. The sector is formed with an H-shaped slot defined by an intermediate partition 9 defining oppositely disposed slots 10 for the reception of the adjacent end portion of the lever 7, there being a transverse slot 11 in the partition 9 and forming a source of between the slots 10 so as to permit the lever to be shifted laterally from one slot to the other, to regulate the speed of the machine.

One side of the lever 7, immediately above the ordinary construe.

the upper edge of the sector 6, is provided with a lateral enlargement 12 having a chamber 18 formedtherein and in which is slidably mounted a locking bolt 1ft. Communi-' eating with the chamber 13 and opening on that side of the lever opposite the enlargement 12, 1s a recess,

in which is mounted a ing 15, is a tubularmember 16, in which is rotatably mounted a barrel 17, the latter being provided with a seat for the reception of a key, indicated at 18. The inner end of the barrel 17 projects laterally a short distance beyond the adjacent end of the tubular member 16 to form a support for a disk or tumbler 19, the latter being provided with a peripheral lug 20 adapted to enter a recess 21 in the locking bolt 11, and thus move said bolt to extended and retracted positions when the barrel is rotated.

-Rigidly secured to the inner end of the barrel 17, by screws or similar fastening devices 22, is a plate or disk 23: having a lug 24 which engages the lug 20 on the tumbler '19 and serves to move said tumbler into and .Arranged within the casout of engagement with the locking member bler. The inner face ofithe lug'20 is prefer' A plate 28 is preferably secured to the bottom of the chamber 13, there being a recess 29 formed in the adjacent face of the locking bolt 14 to receive said plate, saidrecess defining oppositely disposed shoulders 30 which, by engagement with the plate 28, serve to limit the longitudinal movement of the locking bolt in either direction. The

side walls of the chamber 13 are provided with guiding recesses 31, preferably undercut in cross section to permit the insertion of a slide'or closure 32, the latter being preferably soldered or otherwise rigidly secured to the lever so as to prevent an unauthorized person from tampering with the locking mechanism.

It will here be noted that the lever 7 is of substantially the same thickness as the width of the slots 10, so that when the lever is in neutral position and the locking member 14 moved to extended position, it will be impossible to shift the lever along either slot, thereby effectually locking the lever in neutral position and preventing an unauthorized person from starting the car when the latter is left standing for any considerable period. It will also be noted that the construction of the lock is such that the key 18 may be removed from said look when the bolt is in either retracted or extended position.

In operation, the free end of the lever 7 is moved either to the right or left, until the intermediate portion thereof registers with the central transverse member of the H-slot or neutral point on the sector, afterwhich the lever is moved laterally until it enters said transverse member. The key 1.8'is then inserted in the lock and rotated so as to lower the locking member it and thereby prevent the lever from being moved along either slot, as before stated. By retracting the bolt, the lever will be free to operate in either slot to control tin: speed of the machine.

It will here be noted that the inner face of the bolt 14 bears flush against the adjacent face of the lever and enters the slot 10, thus dispensingwith the employment of locking is claimed as new is:

notches, keepers and similar auxiliary devices for engagement with the .bolt when the latter is in extended position. It will further be noted that when the locking member 14 is in retracted position, the lug 20 engages the adjacent wall of the recess 21 in said bolt and thus prevents downward movement thereof. i

In- Fig. 8 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modified form of the invention, in which the locking mechanism is mounted in a separate casing 33, and the latter attached by screws or similar fastening devices directly to one side of the controlling lever, the construction and operation of the lock being otherwise similar to that 'shown in wherever a device of this character is found Y desirable or applicable, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what l he combination of a sector having spaced longitudinal slots and a transverse slot connecting said longitudinal slots, a controlling lever operating within either longitudinal slot and movable bodily through the transverse slot, said transverse slot defining the neutral position of the lever, a locking member mounted on the lever, and mechanism housed within the lever and connected with the lockingmemberwhereby said member may be projected into the'transverse slot or one of the longitudinal slots when the lever is in neutral position and will be prevented by a solid portion of the sector from being projected when the lever is out of neutral position.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

. PERCY B. \VALLS. [1,. s.] Witnesses:

JOHN W. U Nnnmvooo, RAY Freeman. 

